Palace of Theodoric in Ravenna, Ostrogothic palace ruins next to Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy
The Palace of Theodoric is a ruin with remains of floors, walls, and mosaics from the early sixth century, located right next to the church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. Visitors can see preserved mosaic fragments at ground level and in an upper display area, connected by a spiral staircase that leads between the two sections.
The building was constructed in the early sixth century as the residence of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great, whose name appeared on lead pipes discovered at the site. After the collapse of the Ostrogothic kingdom, the location was covered and forgotten for centuries until excavations between 1907 and 1911 uncovered its remains.
The palace shows how Roman and Ostrogothic building styles mixed during this period and shaped the city's look. The mosaics and remaining structures reveal a place where two worlds came together.
The site sits right next to the church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, making it easy to visit both places on the same day. The ruins are fairly compact, so a visit does not take long and can be easily combined with exploring other parts of the city.
Several columns from the original structure were transported to Aachen and built into Charlemagne's Palatine Chapel, where some were later taken to Paris by Napoleon. These columns remain scattered across different European locations and represent rare physical evidence of how this palace was valued and remembered long after its fall.
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